1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved structure of a connector terminal, and especially to a female terminal the front end of which has an open arc so that the distance between two female terminals are reduced. Therefore, the required material is reduced, and it is easily plated and has a larger contact area so as to increase conductivity.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With reference to FIG. 4, in prior art connector terminal, a material belt a is punched with a bank of a plurality of female terminals b, one end of each female terminal b is connected to the material belt a, and the end of the female terminal b connected to the material belt a is punched as a slender waist portion b1, the middle portion of the female terminal is punched to form as a U shape middle portion b2. The outermost end of the female terminal b is formed with an inserting end b3 with a round cross section. Moreover, a bridge b4 is connected between two female terminals b and the middle portion b2.
Since the female terminal b is continuously punched from a long material belt 1 and the inserting end b3 in front of the female terminal b has a round cross section. While the peripheral length of an expanding inserting end b3 is equal to the distance between centers of two female terminals b. The peripheral length of the expanding inserting end b3 is the largest dimension, other portion need not require such a large area. The inserting end b3 occupies only a small part of the female terminal b. As a result, the prior art design wastes much material.
Moreover, since the cross section of the inserting end b3 has a round shape, theoretically, round shape has a largest contact area. However, in practice, it is impossible to punch the inserting end with a minor diameter so as to form with a real round shape. Therefore, when a male terminal (not shown) is inserted into the inserting end b3 of a female terminal b, only a small contact area is formed therebetween. Thus, the contact effect is not preferred, and so does the conductivity.
Further, since, a metal with high conductivity must be further plated to a punched female terminal b so as to have a preferred conductivity. However, since when the inserting end b3 with a round shape is plated, the current will flow along a shortest path and thus free electrons will also flow along the shortest path to the outer surface of the female terminal b. While the portion in the inner radius of the inserting end b3 has a largest distance, thus free metal ions will not easily flow into the deepest portion in the interior of the inserting end 13. Thus it can not be plated in the inner radius of the inserting end b3. The portion required to have a high conductivity in the inserting end b3 can not be plated. Accordingly, the plating process has no practical means.
Since the female terminal b of a prior art connector has an inserting end b3 with a round cross section, too much material is wasted and a real round shape is not easily manufactured, and therefore the contact area is reduced so as to reduce conductivity of the female terminal. Moreover, the plating process is difficult to perform. Accordingly, there is an eager demand for a novel improved structure of a connector terminal, which may improve the defects in the prior art.